Rachel Tansey, writer & researcher

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Whose representatives? MEPs on the industry payroll

Published by: Friends of the Earth Europe, Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl, 18 June 2015

Written and researched by:Rachel Tansey

Contributions from: Paul de Clerck, Olivier Hoedeman and Nina Katzemich. With thanks to: Daniel Freund and Nick Aiossa from Transparency International EU Office for their assistance with research.

This reportfocuses on nine Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) whose second jobs or outside interests give rise to concerns over potential conflicts of interest. All nine MEPs hold paid positions in companies or business associations that directly or indirectly lobby EU decision-makers on current legislative files.

All the cases – some dating from the current parliament and some going back to its previous term – show that the MEP code of conduct is not yet robust enough, nor being applied strictly enough, to prevent potential conflicts of interest from arising. The report calls for a clear ban on MEPs holding outside jobs or other paid work that could lead to a conflict of interest, and for a number of other improvements to the parliament’s code of conduct.